The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention.
There are numerous systems and devices available for cooling a space by moving air, including many types of air conditioning systems and fans. While air conditioning systems can be effective in reducing the temperature of air within a building structure, most aren't particularly energy or cost efficient, because they rely upon a central cooling unit with conduits that distribute cool air throughout a structure. Although the flow of air can be managed somewhat, it can be difficult to selectively cool one room within a building structure without wasting energy in the process, partly because of the coordination required between one or more thermostat and the central cooling unit, and the fact that even the minimum power requirements for a central air system to selectively cool a single room are significant. As an alternative, traditional window mounted air conditioning units can be employed, but have a limited capacity to cool beyond their immediate surroundings, and aren't usually very effective at cooling more than one large room. Ceiling fans provide a more cost effective alternative to central air conditioning systems and wall mounted units, however, like wall mounted systems, they have a limited capacity to cool, and are not especially effective at cooling by circulating air beyond a single room. Additionally, it is often the case that not every room in a structure includes wiring for a ceiling fan. Floor fans, including oscillating floor fans, are another form of air circulating device that, like ceiling mounted fans, are relatively limited in operation to cooling a single room or portion thereof, depending upon the size of the room. Because most floor fans do not provide enough air circulating capacity to cool multiple rooms, they are often moved relatively frequently to different rooms. Certain floor fans are hazardous to small children and pets, and must be frequently moved for that reason, and therefore repeatedly plugged into and unplugged from one or more wall outlet.
There is clearly a need in the art for devices and systems that provide a safe, convenient, efficient, effective and esthetically pleasing way of moving air in a selected room for the purpose of cooling and/or improving air circulation in the room.
There is also a need for modular systems that allow for (1) charging an electrically powered device that includes a rechargeable battery at one location/docking station, and (2) subsequently positioning/docking the charged electrically powered device at another location/docking station in which there is no connection to electricity available.